Cleveland Council Urged to Avoid Marijuana 'Slush Funds'

Editorial board warns against diverting pot tax revenue to individual council members' pet projects.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 9:56am

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A dimly lit, cinematic painting of an empty city council chamber podium, with warm sunlight streaming in through a window and casting deep shadows across the scene, conveying a sense of quiet contemplation about the responsible use of public funds.The temptation to divert public funds into individual council members' discretionary accounts threatens budget transparency and equitable spending in Cleveland.Cleveland Today

The editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer is cautioning Cleveland City Council against diverting half of the city's marijuana tax revenue into individual council members' discretionary 'slush funds'. The board argues this would undermine budget transparency, accountability, and equitable spending on neighborhood needs.

Why it matters

Allowing council members to control portions of the city's marijuana tax revenue through individual slush funds could lead to wasteful spending on pet projects, a lack of oversight, and inequitable distribution of resources across different neighborhoods.

The details

Council member Richard Starr has proposed giving council members half of the city's annual $650,000 in marijuana tax revenue, similar to the 15% share they already receive from Cleveland casino revenues. However, the editorial board warns this 'slush fund' approach would lack accountability, tempt council members to spend the money on self-promotion, and undermine the transparent budget process. Council President Blaine Griffin cautioned against creating '15 mini-mayors' with their own funding sources, and said dividing the revenue equally would 'definitely lead to inequity' given varying neighborhood needs.

  • In 2025, the city received $650,000 in marijuana tax revenue.
  • The editorial was published on April 19, 2026.

The players

Blaine Griffin

The president of Cleveland City Council who cautioned against creating 'mini-mayors' with discretionary funding.

Richard Starr

A Cleveland City Council member who proposed diverting half of the city's marijuana tax revenue to individual council members' slush funds.

Tanmay Shah

A Cleveland City Council member who agreed with Starr's proposal to divert marijuana revenue to neighborhood needs.

Cuyahoga County Council

The county council that previously squandered $66 million in pandemic relief funds by giving $6 million to each of its 11 members for their own discretionary spending.

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What they’re saying

“We are not 15 mini-mayors. Which means that we have to be very careful on trying to just create different funding mechanisms that are specifically tied to wards.”

— Blaine Griffin, Cleveland City Council President

“Slicing half of the marijuana revenues into 15 equal pieces will also 'definitely lead to inequity,'”

— Blaine Griffin, Cleveland City Council President

What’s next

The Cleveland City Council will need to decide how to allocate the city's marijuana tax revenue during the upcoming budget process.

The takeaway

Diverting Cleveland's marijuana tax revenue into individual council members' discretionary 'slush funds' would undermine budget transparency, accountability, and equitable spending on neighborhood needs. The city should instead incorporate the marijuana revenue into the regular budgeting process to ensure it is spent strategically to address the city's priorities.